Conflict of Interests
by 5SOSPenguinQueen
Summary: She's a Gryffindor. He's a Slytherin. She's a Weasley. He's a Malfoy. She's sweet. He's a bully. She's dangerous. He's dangerous. She likes him. He likes her. It's all just a conflict of interest
1. 1-1

**CHAPTER 1.1 **

Screaming. Once again, Cassandra Weasley was woken by the sounds of screaming. This was a regular occurrence in the Weasley household but today, the ear-piercing sound was a lot more frantic. Cassie and Ronald were starting their first day at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry and from what the young witch could hear, their mother was screeching because Ron had lost his rat once again.

Letting out a heavy sigh, she threw back the covers and crawled out of bed. Yet again, she would have to rescue her twin from their mother's wrath by helping him find his bloody rat.

* * *

Whistles and chatter filled the platform as the large Weasley family, (minus Arthur who was at work) made their way towards Platform 9 and ¾.

"George, would you hurry up?" Mrs Weasley snapped at her one of her elder twins, as he lagged behind.

Hiding her sniggers, Cassie decided not to tell her mother that she was actually telling off Fred, or that she couldn't tell the two apart.

Just before Cassie could go through the wall, a boy about her age interrupted, asking for help on how to get to the platform.

"Excuse me? C-could you tell me how to-" The boy stammered.

"How to get onto the platform? Yes, not to worry, dear. It's Ron and Cassie's first year as well. Now, all you've got to do is walk straight at the wall between platforms 9 and 10. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous." Molly explained, smiling kindly.

Thanking her, the dark haired boy disappeared through the wall. Cassie went after, followed by Ron, and then their mother and younger sister.

"Now, you two behave. I don't want any letters from the school telling me you've blown up a toilet!" Molly warned her prankster twins.

"Blown up a toilet? We've never blown up a toilet!"

"Thanks for the idea though, Mum."

Unfortunately, Cassie was unable to disguise her snort of laughter causing her mother to turn her attentions to her and Ron.

"You, little miss. Do not let your older brother's mislead you. Both of you behave yourselves. Have a fun year. Make friends. Get good grades. Write home everyday. Once again, behave. No de-"

Molly Weasley wrapped her youngest twins in a tight hug as the Hogwarts Express whistle cut her off. The signal that the train was ready for boarding.

"We love you too, Mum." Ron and Cassie said simultaneously before climbing aboard the train and waving goodbye to Molly and Ginny.

* * *

"Excuse me, do you mind? Everywhere else is full." Ronald asked the dark haired boy from earlier, gesturing to the empty compartment.

"No, not at all." The boy replied, allowing the twins to sit with him.

"I'm Ron, by the way. Ron Weasley." The ginger haired boy stated, more confident than his twin. "And this is my twin sister, Cassie."

"I'm Harry. Harry Potter."

Ron let out a strangled gasp of awe whilst Cassie's eyes widened in admiration. Both of them had grown up hearing the legends of Harry Potter.

"So, it's true?! I mean, do you really have the.. The.." Ron trailed off.

"The what?"

"Scar." Cassie said bluntly, her brother's use of the English language was currently failing him due to the shock of meeting his idol.

Harry lifted up his fringe to show the ginger twins his lightning scar. Ron's mouth fell open with shock.

"I have a weird shaped scar too." Cassie lifted up her hair to show the star shaped scar on her neck. "Had it since I was a baby but Mum can never remember how I got it."

Popping her head into the compartment, the trolley lady inquired as to whether the children would like anything. Despite the drool pooling in their mouths, Ron and Cassie held up their squashed sandwiches with crestfallen expressions.

"No, thanks, we're all set." Ron murmured.

"We'll take the lot!" Harry exclaimed.

It was at that point that Cassie could tell it was going to be the start of a beautiful friendship.

* * *

During that train ride, Cassie had met a muggleborn by the name of Hermione Granger. She seemed very intelligent, despite not being brought up in the wizarding community, and the two girls had bonded over their love of spells and '_Hogwarts; A History_'.

However, Cassie had also had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting Draco Malfoy. After the stuff he said about her family, she had had the intense urge to pummel him in the face. To her dismay, her twin had pinned her arms behind her back and before she had had the chance to escape from his grasp, Professor McGonagall had ushered them all into the Great Hall.

* * *

"Whilst at Hogwarts, your house will be your home." McGonagall announced before calling out the first name.

The Sorting passed fairly quickly due to the fact that the ginger girl had zoned out for most of it. Hermione Granger had been sorted into Gryffindor, not Ravenclaw like she'd suspected. Draco Malfoy slithered up to the stool and before the hat was even placed on his head, it announced Slytherin.

"Harry Potter." McGonagall called out.

Instantly, the Hall went silent as everyone watched as _the_ Harry Potter walked up to the stool. The Hat was placed on his head for a good couple of minutes before the Hat declared him a Gryffindor, causing thundering claps to come from the direction of the Lion table.

"We got Potter! We got Potter!" Fred and George chanted, only falling silent when their sister's name was called.

Taking a deep breath, Cassie walked up to the stool with her head held high, despite the fact that her hands were shaking violently. Her face remained void of emotion as the Hat was placed upon her head.

'_Hmm, another Weasley. It's not as easy to place you as it was for your other siblings. Smart enough for Ravenclaw.'_

Cassie panicked as she believed she wasn't good enough for the smartest house at Hogwarts. The Hat picked up on that.

'_You would thrive in Ravenclaw. But, wait! There is cunning within you. A prankster. Slytherin would be the best place for you - You don't want to be in Slytherin. Your courage however, far surpasses your kindness, smarts, and cunningness'._

**"GRYFFINDOR!"** The Hat announced to the rest of the school.

She let out a small sigh of relief before sitting between Fred and George, smiling as Ron joined Harry, Hermione on the other side of the table.

It was only their first night at Hogwarts but she could tell it was going to be a good year.


	2. 1-2

**CHAPTER 1.2 **

"I despise mornings." Cassie groaned as she plopped down on the bench at the Gryffindor table.

"How can you hate mornings? The sunrise, the birds,-" Hermione started.

"The waking up." Cassie glared at her optimistic friend.

Last night, Cassie and Hermione realised that they would be sharing a room, so had chosen two beds next to each other. This had resulted in the pair of them staying awake all night to discuss all the things they had in common, especially books.

"I'm sure you'll survive." Hermione smiled before dashing off once she had received her timetable; rambling about needing to read all the books before the lesson so that she was prepared.

After she had rushed out, Harry and Ron shuffled inside the Hall and sat across from the oldest female Weasley child. Letting out a weird sound, Ron vented about the fact that the Gryffindor's and the Slytherin's had Transfiguration together, first. Along with other subjects.

"Stop being a drama queen, Ronald. It's not like they're going to kill you during Herbology." Cassie rolled her eyes.

"They're mini Death Eaters. They'll definitely try." Ron exclaimed, his voice loud enough for passerby's to hear him.

"You're an idiot." She scolded. "Now, go get your books before the two of you are late."

The trio walked out of the Hall together but separated at the large staircase; the boys went to their dorm to collect their books for the day whilst Cassie (bag already on her shoulder) tried to find her Transfiguration classroom.

* * *

Silence covered the classroom as the Gryffindor's and Slytherin's worked on the task that was set for them. Professor McGonagall had introduced herself to the class by amazing them with her animagus. Now, she was watching them all from her desk, as a cat.

"Whew, can you imagine the look on old McGonagall's face if she knew we were late?" Ron smirked at Harry, as the two rushed into the classroom.

However, his smirk quickly disappeared once the cat jumped off the desk and transformed back into Professor McGonagall.

"That was bloody beautiful." Ron complimented, staring at the older woman with awe.

After she had finished reprimanding the two boys, McGonagall ordered them to find their seats, which they did hurriedly.

Cheeks blazing, the two boys hurried to sit themselves at the desk behind Cassandra and Hermione. In his haste, Ron tripped, and only figured that his sister had stuck her foot out after he saw her shoulders shaking with laughter.

* * *

Potions with the Slytherin's was after lunch and it was the most soul-destroying lesson Cassie had due to the fact that it was taught by Severus Snape. Snape was the Head of Slytherin and, as a result, took points off of Gryffindor's for the littlest things.

Cassie had actually been looking forward to Potions until Snape sauntered into the classroom, closing all the shutters with a wave of his wand.

Zoning out, Cassie ignored Snape's dramatic speech of the wonders of Potions, until she realised that he was staring at Harry; who was paying even less attention than Cassie.

Nudging him in the ribs, she tried to contain her fury as Snape mocked Harry's lack of Potions knowledge. And ignored Hermione's enthusiastic hand in the air.

* * *

Working on their homework. The students of Hogwarts sat at their respective tables in the Great Hall, talking amongst themselves. Harry, Ron and Cassie were trying to make sense of their Potions homework but despite how many times Cassie explained it to them, the two boys just weren't understanding anything.

"It's not that difficult. You just need to actually listen to me, or pay attention in class." Cassie groaned in frustration, banging her head on the table.

"It is that difficult. You're just a know-it-all who enjoys Potions." Ron shot back.

"Or maybe you're just a bogey brained assh-"

Before the green-eyed girl could finish her sentence, Draco Malfoy walked into the Hall causing the girl to hide behind Harry.

"What are you doing?" Harry whispered to the redhead using his back as a cover.

"Hiding from Malfoy."

"Why?"

"Well, after Potions, he said something horrible to Hermione so I may have 'accidentally' kicked him in the shin, so now he wants to hex me."

"You're my new favourite person." Harry chuckled, ignoring Ron's protests.


	3. 1-3

**CHAPTER 1.3 **

Flying lessons were the one thing that excited Cassie the most; as a child, she had constantly stolen her brother's brooms so that she and Ginny could practice. Joining the Quidditch Team wasn't something that appealed to her but she loved the freedom that accompanied flying.

"Good afternoon, class." Madam Hooch, the flying instructor, greeted.

"Good afternoon, Madam Hooch." The class responded in unison.

"Everyone step up to the left side of your broom. Stick your right hand over the broom and say, up!" Madam Hooch instructed.

"Up!" The class chanted.

Harry and Cassie's hands were grasping their brooms the instant the word had left their mouths. Unfortunately, so was Draco's, which caused him to sport a smug grin.

Hermione wasn't having much luck, and her tone made it sound as if she was scolding the broom.

"Up!" Ron practically yelled.

The broom flew up and whacked him straight in the face. Snorts and giggles came from his best friend and twin, but when he told them to shut up, they just laughed harder.

"Once you've got hold of your broom, I want you to mount it. Grip it tight, you don't want to be sliding off the end."

Cassie tried not to laugh at Hooch's phrasing and she noticed a couple other students were containing their laughter as well.

Once her whistle had been blown, Neville's broom started in the air but Cassie could tell, from the look of terror on his face, that he hadn't meant to.

Despite her persuasion, Neville got further and further away from the ground, his flying pattern wonky due to his panic. Eventually, Neville stopped flying and landed on the floor in an awkward heap.

"Everyone is to stay on the ground whilst I take Mr Longbottom to the hospital wing. If I see a single broom in the air, the one riding it will be out of Hogwarts faster than they can say Quidditch. Understood?" Madam Hooch threatened before escorting Neville to get his broken wrist checked out.

"Did you see his face? Maybe if the Fat lump had given this a squeeze, he would have remembered to fall on his fat arse." Malfoy chuckled, grabbing Neville's Remembrall off the ground.

"Shut up, Malfoy." Cassie spat, taking a step towards the blond.

Climbing onto his broom to get away from the small girl with the fiery temper, Malfoy soared above the class, Remembrall in hand.

Like the idiot he is, Harry ignored Hermione's warnings and took off after Malfoy. Throwing the Remembrall in the air, Draco smirked at what he thought was victory. Luckily, Harry caught it in time. However, the burst of pride Harry felt was quickly deflated when McGonagall dragged him away.

* * *

"I can't believe you made the team. That's extraordinary! I'm so proud of you!" Cassie squealed, bashing her shoulder against Harry's in pride.

"First years never make the team! You must be the youngest Quidditch player in-"

"A century. According to McGonagall." Harry finished.

After the other set of Weasley twins had offered their congratulations (and scared Harry), the trio wandered out into the courtyard.

"I've never even played Quidditch. What if I make a fool of myself?" Harry fretted.

"You won't make a fool of yourself." Hermione interrupted, joining the three of them on their walk. "It's in your blood."

Taking them to the Trophy Room, Hermione proved that it was in Harry's blood by showing them a trophy that showed that James Potter used to be the Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Staring at the trophy, Cassie felt as if some small part of her already knew that.

* * *

Due to moving staircases, the four young Gryffindor's found themselves hiding from Filch. On the third floor corridor.

"_Alohomora_." Hermione used the unlocking spell so that the quartet could escape into the locked room, to hide from the janitor.

"Alohomora?" Ron questioned.

"Standard Book of Spells, Chapter 7." Hermione stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Hermione, I know the spell but it's a little worrying that you know which book _and _chapter it's from." Cassie gave her friend a weird look.

"Filch is gone." Hermione stated after two minutes.

"Probably thinks this door is locked." Ron commented.

"It was locked, Ronald." Cassie rolled her eyes, a regular occurrence whenever her brother opened his mouth.

"And for good reason." Harry's voice trembled a little bit.

Turning around, the other three noticed a giant, three headed dog was staring at them. Letting out loud screams, the quartet ran out the door and slammed it shut behind them; trapping the vicious dog in.

"I am never going anywhere with you three again." Cassie mumbled in shock, wandering in the direction of the Gryffindor common room.


	4. 1-4

**CHAPTER 1.4 **

Professor Flitwick was a short wizard, but a wonderful teacher. At the moment, he was teaching his class how to levitate objects. Sat behind Draco, Cassie waited until he levitated his feather before casting a charm that made it fly around the room uncontrollably. Turning around, he glared at the redhead who smirked at him, making his glare darker.

Levitating her own feather, she noticed her brother was having some trouble with his own feather. The look on his face suggested that he didn't appreciate the advice Hermione was giving him. Before he could strangle her, Seamus' feather exploded.

* * *

The sun was shining. The wind was a gentle breeze. The birds were singing. And, Hermione had burst into tears after hearing the harsh words Ron had said about her. Running after her friend, Cassie made sure to kick her brother as she passed.

"C'mon, 'Mione. Just come out of the toilet. We're missing the feast." Cassie tried to coax her best friend out of the stall she had currently locked herself in. "Don't let what Ronald said hurt you. He's a complete idiot, and he's wrong. You do have friends. _I'm_ your friend." Cassie comforted.

Just as Hermione finally exited the stall, wiping her eyes, a troll walked into the bathroom. The two girls hurried back into the stall, clutching each other in fright. The troll raised his club, smashing the top of the stalls. Wood and dust rained down on the two of them as they fell to the floor.

"Move!" Harry yelled, as he and Ron rushed into the bathroom.

As the two girls crawled under the sinks, the troll followed their movements, smashing sinks as he went.

"Help!" They screamed, watching as the boys struggled to come up with a plan.

Somehow, Harry ended up atop the troll and when the troll started spinning, he jammed his wand up the troll's nose. Eventually, the troll had the glasses-wearing wizard upside down, by the leg. The club barely missed his head as Harry gathered all his strength and managed to pull himself up.

"Do something!" Harry yelled at Ron.

"What?"

"Anything!" Harry ducked another swing. "Hurry up!"

Ron pulled his wand out of his robes and looked at Hermione, who gave him an encouraging smile, and telling him the correct pronunciation.

_"Wingardium Leviosa!"_

The club floated out of the troll's hand and hovered above his head. Coming down, the club struck him on the head, levitating up and dead. Staggering, the troll collapsed to the floor unconsciously.

"Is it.. Dead?" Hermione asked, as her and Cassie crawled out from under the safety of the sink.

"I don't think so." Cassie responded, poking the troll a couple of times. "Just knocked out."

Removing his wand from the nose of the troll, Harry grimaced at the snot hanging from it. Footsteps caused the four First Year's to stare at the door to the bathroom in alarm. In rushed Professor McGonagall, Snape and Quirrell.

"Explain yourselves, both of you!" McGonagall demanded, staring at the two boys in shock.

Trying to stammer their way through an excuse, Hermione saved the two awkward boys from embarrassment by taking the blame.

"It's my fault."

The other three students stared at Hermione as if she had grown three heads.

"I went looking for the troll. I had done my reading and thought I could handle it. Cassie tried stopping me. If Harry and Ron hadn't saved us, we'd probably be dead."

"I would have expected better behaviour from you, Miss Granger." Professor McGonagall frowned at the young girl. "5 points from Gryffindor. Now, you two boys, I hope you realise just how fortunate you are. 5 points.. Will be awarded for your dumb luck."

Turning her attention to the redhead, she noticed the small cut on her forehead that was causing blood to run down her forehead. However, Cassie didn't notice it as she was too busy staring at Professor Quirrell who was staring at Harry with such intensity.

"Miss Weasley?"

"Yes, Professor McGonagall."

"Please go the Hospital Wing." And then, under her breath, McGonagall muttered. "First Weasley this year to go. I can imagine there will be many more."


	5. 1-5

**CHAPTER 1.5**

Sat between Fred and George, Cassie had put up with their teasing and fussing all throughout breakfast. One moment they were making jokes about her and a troll, the next they were telling her off for putting herself in danger.

"Will you shut up? You've done worse." Cassie growled at them, batting away Fred's hand, who was inspecting the small cut.

"Don't take that tone with us, young lady." George sniggered, imitating their mother. "And, for the record, we have never battled a troll."

"You can imitate Mum all you like but you should know that you are actually acting like her."

Cassie took great pleasure as George and Fred turned a dark shade of red and started spluttering on their breakfast in an effort to protest. Despite taunting them, Cassie couldn't help but smile at the concern of her older brothers. Not that she would ever admit it out loud, she was probably closer to the twins than her other siblings, and she most certainly spent the most time with them.

"It's not that we care." Fred stated. "It's just, if you died horribly, we wouldn't have our favourite little prankster."

George nodded in agreement. "Exactly. We don't care about your wellbeing whatsoever. We only care about us."

"Mhm. Sure." Cassie pretended to believe them, shaking her head at the pranksters.

Stealing some bacon off of George's plate, Cassie noticed her twin and her friends enetering the Great Hall, laughing at each other. Ever since the boys had saved the girsl from that troll, the four of them had become close friends. And now, Ron was no longer teasing Hermione for having no friends.

"Morning." Ron greeted, before shovelling food into his mouth, offering the sausages to Hermione before piling five onto his plate.

"Got to run, Squirt. Meet us in the common room after dinner. We've got an idea." The older twins kissed their little sister on the cheek before darting off with Lee Jordan.

"Morning, you three. Sleep well?" Cassie asked, sipping her hot chocolate.

Both Harry and Hermione answered her with tired nods of their heads whilst Ron completely ignored his twin, eyes drooping slightly.

"You okay, Harry? You don't look well." Cassie noticed, seeing the green tinge to her dark haired friend's facial features.

"Harry, you must eat something. To get your strength up." Hermione advised, her knowledge on various topics coming in handy.

Many passing Gryffindor's stopped to wish Harry good luck in the game today but as Snape hobbled by, all he did was glare at the Quartet.

"That explains the blood." Harry said. "Last night, Snape must have let the troll in as a diversion so he could get past the dog."

As Harry started coming up with theories, a lone owl swooped through the window and dropped a parcel in front of Harry. Opening the wrappings, all polished and shiny, was a Nimbus 2000.

* * *

As the teams began to pour out onto the field, Cassie let out a roar for her brothers and friend. However, Harry looked far from excited; he looked like he was about to pass out right on the grass.

"Welcome to the first Quidditch game of the season. Gryffindor versus Slytherin!"

Cheers echoed throughout the grounds of Hogwarts as almost every student had turned up to watch who would win between the houses with the biggest rivalry. The whistle sounded and the players took to the air; Gryffindor scored the first point and Cassie and Ron were chanting in joy whilst Hermione just stood next to them clapping. If Harry wasn't playing (and Cassie hadn't dragged her), Hermione probably would've spent the morning in the library.

"Mione, what's going on with Harry's broom?" Cassie asked her bushy haired friend, who was holding the binoculars.

Instead of racing for the Snitch, the Boy Who Lived was jerking around as his broom started to fly uncontrollably.

"It's Snape!" Hermione gasped. "He's jinxing the broom."

Grabbing the twins by the arms, Hermione dashed down the Gryffindor stands and towards the box where the teacher's were seated. Pulling out her Blackthorn wand with basilisk horn core, Cassie whispered the first flame charm that popped into her head. Once Snape's robes had caught fire, the trio of Gryffindor's rushed back to the stand of Lions before anyone noticed they were gone, and just in time to see Harry catch (spit out) the Golden Snitch.

"Harry Potter receives 150 points for catching the Snitch! Gryffindor wins!" Lee Jordan's voice boomed around the arena, and everyone but the Slytherin's burst into screams and shouts. Gryffindor had won the first game of the season.

* * *

Whilst the other three had gone to visit Hagrid, Cassie remembered that she had to finish writing a letter to her mother, before she had a fit and sent a panicked Howler. Rushing across the grounds, Cassie had almost reached the main staircase when a platinum blond stood in her way.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Draco Malfoy drawled, looking at the fiery redhead. "A blood traitor."

"Get out of my way, Malfoy." Cassie rolled her eyes, not in the mood to be dealing with the pompous ass.

Looking around, she noticed they were the only two in the corridor, his usual lackeys were nowhere to be found.

"Now that's no way to speak to your superior's."

"Good thing you're not my superior then." Cassie spat, trying to walk past him, but he blocked her way once more. "If you don't move out my way, you will lose your legs."

"Keep talking to me like that and you will lose your tongue, Weasley."

Malfoy said her name with so much venom that Cassie could see the snake within him. Patience wearing thin, the ginger haired girl tried one more attempt at sneaking past him before she smashed him in the shin with her foot.

"Dead leg!" She yelled, using the maneuver she used on her brothers all the time, before sprinting away from the Slytherin Prince.

"My father will hear about this!" Malfoy fumed, clutching his leg on the floor.

However, he couldn't help but stare at her long locks until she disappeared from view. No one had had the balls to do that to him before, and some minor part of him admired her for doing it twice. The rest of him hated her with a burning fury.


	6. 1-6

**CHAPTER 1.6**

Hogwarts at Christmas was the greatest thing the eldest Weasley girl had ever seen. 9ft trees were in almost every other room, tinsel hung from every corridor, snow fell in the Great Hall, and almost everyone was filled with holiday cheer. The only thing you had to watch out for was the mistletoe that refused to let you go until you kissed the person you had been trapped with; be it on the cheek, the mouth, or the hand.

Sat at a table in the Hall, snow falling onto the pages of her book, the female twin listened as her twin taught Harry how to play Wizard's Chess.

"That's totally barbaric!" Hermione gasped as Ron's piece destroyed one of Harry's.

Many times Cassie had been goaded into a game of Chess with her twin, and due to his insane strategy skills, she hardly ever won. Therefore, she refused to play with him anymore because she didn't like stroking his ego with each loss.

"I see you've packed." Ron noted, nodding to Hermione's suitcase.

"I see you haven't." She shot back.

"Mum and Dad are visiting Charlie in Romania so we're staying here."

"Nice of them to take us." Cassie muttered, not even moving her eyes from the book before her.

Having adored her older brother, Charlie, for the majority of her life, Cassie was rather bitter that she wasn't going to see him. She had missed him and the little facts he always gave her about dragons. In fact, he was the reason she also wanted to be a dragon trainer, much to her mother's horror.

"You two can help Harry then. He's going to be researching Nicholas Flamel."

Having missed the conversation, the other three had informed Cassie that the thing Fluffy was guarding, and Snape was trying to steal, was somehow connected to Nicholas Flamel. The only issue was that none of them had figured out who Nicholas Flamel was.

"We've looked a hundred times!" Ron protested.

"Not in the Restricted Section." Hermione smirked, giving Cassie a hug goodbye. "Happy Christmas."

* * *

Being the only female in the First Year Gryffindor Girls dormitory was a blessing. Being able to fall asleep without having to listen to the gossiping of Lavender and Parvati was blissful, and waking up without hearing the panicked shrieks of girls who were having a bad hair day, or makeup not going right, was heaven.

Shoving her feet into her slippers and dragging a comb through her hair, Cassie grabbed her pile of presents before trudging downstairs to where her brother and Harry were already sat waiting.

"Merry Christmas, boys." She smiled sleepily at them.

"Merry Christmas, Cass."

"I see Mum made sweaters again." Cassie noted, seeing the maroon one already on her brother.

"Yup." Ron grimaced. "Here's yours. Oh, Harry, Mum made you one as well."

"I've got presents?" Harry asked, shocked.

Unwrapping her sweater, Cassie smiled at the familiar green colour. 'To match her eyes' was what her Mother said every year. Pulling it on, Cassie's smile widened as she saw the joy on Harry's face as he beheld the dark blue jumper Molly Weasley had made for him.

Handing Harry his present from her, Cassie felt tears spring to her eyes once she saw the intense greatfulness in Harry's own green eyes. And her heart broke a little as she saw the 50p his family had given him.

Letting out a chuckle, Harry gave the freckled girl a hug for the 'Glasses Repair Book For Dummies'. She had gifted Ron a new Chudley Cannons scarf as his last one was falling to pieces.

From Ron, Cassie had sweets, that he had stolen the moment she had opened them. Hermione had given her some muggle books titled 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' with strict instructions as to 'start reading them right away'. Fred and George had gotten her a new necklace with a phoenix charm that spread its wings every now and again.

Finally, the last present left to be opened was one of Harry's.

"Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well."

"What is it?" Ron asked, through a mouthful of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans.

"Some kind of cloak."

Slinging it around his body, Cassie had to blink a couple of times before registering that only Harry's head was visible.

"It's an Invisibility Cloak!" Cassie exclaimed, remembering the tale of the Three Brothers. "They're so rare!"

Looking at his friends, Harry knew exactly how they were going to figure out who Nicholas Flamel was.

* * *

Figuring it would be safer if only one person went whilst they got used to the cloak, Harry had elected to go search the Restricted Section whilst Cassie and Ron went through all of Cassie's magical books to see if they could see any hint of Flamel.

Staring at her twin, Cassie felt more appreciative of him and the life she has. Yes, her family were poor and life was hard for them but she was so lucky in comparison to some people. Only having seen a glimpse of how hard Harry's life was with his aunt and uncle, Cassie had never felt luckier for the love and kindness she had grown up surrounded by. Even though she and her siblings teased each other, and pranked each other, and called each other names, she knew they would be there for her if she ever needed them. And she knew she'd never even have to ask, they'd just be there. Shaking her head as her brother claimed all the words were hurting his brain, Cassie decided she would look out for Harry the way he deserved. She would be his family now.


	7. 1-7

**CHAPTER 1.7 **

Staring at her bowl of fruit and yoghurt, Cassie rubbed her temples as she listened to the ramblings of the two boys before her. Something about a magic mirror with wonderful images. Not really paying attention, she nodded her head every now and again so that they believed she was following their story.

"You okay, Cassie? You look like you're going to fall asleep in your breakfast." Harry laughed as the girl's head slipped of the hand it was resting on.

"Fred and George kept me awake." Cassie smirked to herself as she recalled why she was up so late but did not divulge any further details.

It wasn't until Malfoy walked into the Great Hall with hot pink robes and Cassie let out an evil chuckle that they figured out what she had done. Harry would be lying if the chuckle hadn't frightened him slightly.

* * *

"I had you looking in the wrong section. How could I be so stupid?" Hermione greeted her friends, slamming a large book on the table. " I checked this out weeks ago for a bit of light reading."

"Hello to you too, 'Mione." Cassie said, jumping to attention.

"That's light?" Ron asked incredulously.

As usual, Hermione just ignored him as she flipped to the page containing the information she had discovered about Nicholas Flamel. Much to Ron's chagrin, Hermione begin explaining (with much vigour) about Flamel and the Philosopher's Stone; a magic stone that turned metal to gold and made people immortal.

"No wonder Snape wants the stone!" Harry exclaimed. "Who wouldn't?"

"That's true." Cassie agreed, nodding her head. "I mean, I wouldn't mind a magic stone that turned metal into gold."

Hermione looked at her friend in slight concern but thankfully, Ronald had his sister's back as he admitted a stone like that would be useful. As dinner drew closer, the girls put away all their books before chatting about what they did over the holidays leaving Harry and Ron to complain about how evil Snape was. Even if Snape wasn't after the Philosopher's Stone, Cassandra had to admit that Snape was an evil asshole (as Ron so delicately put it).

* * *

To the say the non-Qudditch playing trio were tense would be an understatement. All three of them were concerned for Harry's safety and as they parted ways at the changing rooms, Cassie had thrown her arms around him in a quick hug before hurrying away to the stands.

As Ron started insulting Snape once again, Cassie was aware of people moving behind her but tried to ignore it once she realised it was the 'Slytherin Prince', although with all the whining he did, Cassie thought Princess fit him better.

Rolling her eyes at the bickering, Cassie decided she should step in before Ro began throwing things at the smug snake.

"Longbottom, if brains were gold, you'd be poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something."

"You know something, Malfoy." Cassie turned to face the pale blond. "I wouldn't be acting so smug if I was you. The last time I saw you, you were whining and curled up on the floor in a ball all because I tapped you on the knee."

"That's not true, Wea-." Malfoy fumed but Cassie stopped paying attention when Harry dived towards the ground in a dangerous manoeuvre.

"You're in luck, Weasley." Malfoy turned back to taunting Ron. "Potter's obviously spotted some gold on the ground."

Unfortunately, before Cassie could stop him, Ron had spun around in his seat before launching himself at the Malfoy heir and knocking him to the ground. Allowing the pair of them to beat each other up for a while, Cassie stopped smiling in amusement when Malfoy's thugs went for Neville.

Immobilising Goyle, the young witch chuckled as he fell to the floor frozen, atop the wrestling boys, before placing her wand at Crabbe's neck.

"I'd think twice before you do anything stupid."

"Yes, Ma'am." Crabbe gulped, pulling apart Malfoy and Ron.

Cheers erupted around the small group and Cassie smacked her brother upside the head, grumbling about missing Gryffindor's big win. Thankfully, Malfoy had disappeared and the trio plus Neville could enjoy the happiness spreading through the Gryffindor stands. Maybe they would win the Quidditch cup this year.

* * *

Once the noise in the Gryffindor common room became too much for Cassie, she decided to take a calming walk around the Grounds before curfew came about and she was _forced_ to listen to the festivities of the celebrating lions.

Walking all the way to the astronomy tower, the eldest Weasley girl swung her legs through the bars and let them dangle in the air. Placing her chin on the middle bar, she let her gaze roam across the whole of Hogwarts and smiled contentedly. Coming to Hogwarts and been her dream since she had performed her first bit of accidental magic and now that she was finally here, she couldn't help feeling a little homesick. As nice as it was to spend time with the twins, she missed Ginny and her parents. She missed her home cooked meals and the privacy of her bedroom. However, she was glad she was learning real magic, and she couldn't regret the awesome friends she had made. Even if she was beginning to suspect one of them was going to cause her a lot of trouble; trouble seemed to have a knack of finding Harry.

Smiling as the owls soared high above the clouds, Cassie closed her eyes and relished in the smell of clean air, the breeze blowing through her ginger locks, the sound of peace ands quiet. Until the door to the tower squeaked open. Turning to see who had entered, she tried to hide her smug grin at the sight of Malfoy with a black eye.

Gathering her belongings, she tried to hurry past him, not wishing to spend time with the blood purist.

"Oi, Blood Traitor." Malfoy called out.

Freezing in her tracks, the Weasley girl turned to face him with cold eyes. Once again, Draco was struck at the lack of emotion on her face. A Slytherin mask on a Gryffindor girl.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" She spat with such venom that Malfoy wondered how she _wasn't_ a Slytherin.

"Tell your brother to watch his back."

Scoffing, she hurried out the door, slamming it behind her and leaving Malfoy to contemplate whether the Hat had made a mistake with her sorting.


	8. 1-8

**CHAPTER 1.8**

Since Harry had informed them about the conversation he had overheard between Snape and Quirrell, the Quartet had been keeping a close eye on the stuttering DADA teacher but, despite looking paler and more anxious, he hadn't seemed to have cracked under the pressure of Severus Snape.

And if that wasn't hard enough, exams were coming up so the four of them spent all their time in the library listening to Hermione teach them about pretty much everything. Ron had even suggested that she was teaching them stuff above First Year level.

Finally, after hearing Ron complain for the billionth time, Hagrid gave them a much needed break.

"Come an' see me later. I'm not sayin' I'll tell yeh anythin' but, don't go talkin' about it. Students aren' s'posed to know."

Hagrid shuffled off with something hidden behind his back and deciding he needed to stretch his legs, Ron hurried over to the aisle Hagrid had been in. In his arms were books about-

"Dragons."

"Hagrid's always wanted a dragon. Told me so the first time I met him." Harry said.

"What on Earth is Hagrid up to?" Hermione fretted, the two boys sharing her worry. However, Cassie was more excited than worried and secretly hoped she could talk to Hagrid about dragons. Dragon taming was her dream and if Hagrid shared her dreams, she wasn't about to stop him.

* * *

Shuffling across the grounds towards Hagrid's house, Cassie felt herself growing excited at the idea of potentially seeing a real life dragon. Despite Charlie sending her pictures of the baby dragons on the reserve, she had never seen a dragon before and so this was a chance for her to get some experience (because no matter what her mother said, she _was_ going to work with dragons).

Smiling up at the friendly, half-giant, Cassie sipped her tea whilst Harry began instantly bombarding him with questions. He may have defeated the Dark Lord but he certainly lacked subtlety. Thankfully, Hermione was full of it. And charm. After a few sweet words, Hagrid was willing to spill the knowledge that he knew.

"Some o' the teachers did enchantments. There was Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagall, Professor Quirrell, and Dumbledore o' course." He counted them off on his fingers to help him recall. "Hang on, I've forgotten someone. Oh yeah, Professor Snape."

Snape?" Harry exclaimed, horrified.

"Look, you four. Snape helped protect the Stone, he's not about to steal it." Hagrid reprimanded.

Watching as her friends exchanged a glance, Cassie sighed into her cup. Whilst she knew Snape was dodgy, she didn't think he'd go as far as to sneak around behind Dumbledore's back to steal something from him. Surely nobody was that stupid.

"Not a soul knows how to get past Fluffy except me an' Dumbledore."

"At least that's something." Harry muttered. "Hagrid, can I open a window?"

Much to his dismay, Hagrid refused. Before Harry could inquire as to why, Cassie noticed something in the fireplace and rushed over to it with a loud gasp.

"Where did you get that?" Ron asked, crouching beside his twin. "It must've cost a fortune!"

Cassie couldn't deny that it sounded dodgy that he'd won it from a stranger in a card game. A dragon egg wasn't something one simply carried around. Sweating under her layers, she kept glancing towards the Norwegian Ridgeback egg and wondering whether it would hatch before they left.

"Hagrid?" Hermione said, trying to gain his attention. "You live in a _wooden_ house."

Cassie snorted out her tea.

* * *

Thankfully, they didn't have to wait too long to find out. A few days later, Harry received a letter from Hagrid. Unfortunately, the news led to Ron and Hermione arguing as they trudged down to Herbology over whether they should go now or not. Once the bell for morning break sounded, they snatched up their things and sprinted towards Hagrid's hut.

Faces red and covered in perspiration, they beamed up at Hagrid as he invited them in.

Deep cracks ran across the big, black egg as it jiggled back and forth.

Perching on the edge of her seat, Cassie couldn't wait to tell her brother that she had witnessed the birth of a Norwegian Ridgeback; a very rare dragon.

Harry grimaced at the small shape that tumbled from the egg and onto the wooden table but Cassie thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Its sling wings would've been considered enormous compared to the slimness of its jet black body. It's bulging, orange eyes fixed on the group with an unnerving stare.

As it sneezed, it released little sparks of fire that had Cassie cooing.

However, when she was informed that someone had been spying on the group, her face filled with anger as she stormed out the door to see Malfoy's retreating frame.

Luckily, Hermione was there to knock her wand out of her hand before she could send a nasty hex his way.

* * *

After much convincing, Cassie had been told to send a message to Charlie to ask whether he could take the Ridgeback to his reserve in Romania.

Sat before the fire with her friends, she sniggered as Ron complained about the bite that baby Norbert had given him.

Thankfully, Hedwig interrupted Ron's whining.

'_**Dear Cassie, **_

_**How are you? I'd gladly take the Norwegian Ridgeback, but getting him to the reserve won't be an easy feat. He'll have to be sent over with some friends of mine who are coming to visit me next week - they must not be seen with an illegal dragon. Think you and Ron could get him up to the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday? They can meet you there and take him away under the cover of darkness. **_

_**Also, I'm so happy that you got to see your first hatching. There will be many more for you to see when you visit. **_

_**Send me an answer as soon as possible. See you soon, trouble. **_

_**Love, Charlie. Xx'**_

"Why doesn't he send me kisses?" Ron grumbled, noticing that his brother only sent him short responses.

"Because I'm his favourite sibling."

Putting together a plan, they quartet decided that two of them would sneak Norbert up to the tower under the cover of the Invisibility Cloak, and pray that they didn't get caught.


	9. 1-9

**CHAPTER 1.9 **

Their luck took a turn for the worse. Ron's hand had swollen twice its size and turned a revolting shade of green, landing him in the Hospital Wing.

Going to visit her brother, Cassie was informed that, not only had Malfoy come to visit Ronald , he had borrowed a book containing the letter with the details of Norbert's departure from Hogwarts.

If he didn't already look so miserable, Cassie was sure she would've smacked him.

* * *

Instead of Ron, Cassie was accompanied by Harry as the pair of the trudged down to Hagrid's hut. Giving the groundskeeper an awkward smile as he sobbed, she placed the Cloak around Norbert before ducking under it. She wasn't good with crying people.

Hoisting the cage up and carrying it, Cassie and Harry struggled as they hauled him up the flights of stairs.

Shoving her fist into her mouth, Cassie had to bite down in order not to giggle at the scene before her. Professor McGonagall, in her tartan dressing gown, had Malfoy by the ear and was dragging him down the corridor. She was too busy deducting House points and giving him detention to believe what he had to say about Harry and dragons. Smirking to each other, the Weasley and Potter continued up the spiral staircase before pulling off the cloak and finally, bursting into laughter at what they'd witnessed.

Meeting Charlie's friends had been the second highlight of her night as Cassie shook hands with them all. One of them even pulled her into a hug once she introduced herself as a Weasley. Stood side by side, they watched as Norbert faded into the darkness before deciding to make their way back to the common room.

Stress free, Cassie practically skipped down the steps until a face appeared in front of her.

"Well, well." Filch whispered with delight. "We are in trouble."

Through their happiness, the two First Year's had left the Cloak at the top of the tower.

* * *

Shame filled Cassie as McGonagall stared at her with such disappointment and anger. McGonagall was her favourite Professor and being brought to her was possibly the worst thing that could've happened. She'd rather get told off by Snape than face McGonagall.

"I'm disgusted. Four students out of bed in one night. All three of you will receive detention! And fifty point will be take from Gryffindor."

"Fifty?" Harry exclaimed, causing Cassie to pinch him sharply.

"Fifty points each."

Even Cassie couldn't help the gasp that escaped her mouth. 150 points take;from Gryffindor in the space of a night. They'd be outcasted for this.

"I have never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students. Now, get back to bed."

With the dismissal and harsh words, Cassie dragged herself to her feet, face as red as her hair. All the way back to Gryffindor Tower, she refused to speak a word to either of the boys by her sides. She tried to do a good thing and this is the karma she got. Her joy at giving Norbert a new home was long forgotten as she hid under her covers and prepared herself for the anger she would receive in the morning.

* * *

Apparently, news spread fast in Hogwarts as Cassie was already hearing the whispers of the great Harry Potter and the night he lost 150 points. The other three houses had tuned on him whilst the Slytherin's thanked him for helping them. Somehow, that made him feel worse than the freeze out.

Poor Neville was ignored, more than before. And now, he refused to speak to Cassie.

Refusing to answer questions in class, she tried to draw less attention to herself but that proved difficult when her hair was like a beacon.

Detention would be served after curfew, which Cassie knew was meant to be a taunt, but she made no comment as Hermione read the piece of paper over her shoulder. Instead, she packed up her things and made her way to her first lesson of a very long day.

* * *

As if detention wouldn't be bad enough, Malfoy was also stood in the Entrance Hall. Sticking with Harry, Cassie made her way out into the chilly night. Fate must be playing a trick on them when they discovered Hagrid would be leading their detention. The man they had helped would know be punishing them. _Perfect_, she thought bitterly to herself. Her dark mood worsened once she heard they would be venturing into the Forbidden Forest.

"I'm not going into the forest." Malfoy said, slight panic in his voice.

"Yeh are if yeh wish ter stay in Hogwarts." Hagrid growled, passing around lanterns.

"But this is servant stuff. I thought I'd be writing lines. If my father knew-"

"Shut up, Malfoy." Cassie spat, turning to face him with a look of annoyance.

It wasn't her words that had him closing his mouth, but rather, it was the darkness swirling within her usually bright green eyes. Not that he would ever admit it but she terrified him.

As if venturing into the Forest wasn't already scary, they students found out that something was wounding the unicorns and that they would have to put the wounded animal down. Killing something so pure seemed to evil.

"I want Fang." Malfoy declared, looking at the large dog.

However, what he didn't know was that Fang was a big softie. He was more of a cuddly teddy bear than a guard dog.

"All right. But, he's a coward." Hagrid informed. "Harry an' Neville, you come with me. Cassie, keep an eye on Malfoy. Send green sparks if you find the unicorn, red sparks if yeh run into trouble. Be careful."

Holding the lantern in one hand and her wand ready in the other, Cassie marched into the throng of thick trees, not even caring if a Malfoy followed her or not. His hurried footsteps told her that she had.

"My father will hear about this. This is torture. Sending children into the Forest with a dangerous animal roaming about."

"Malfoy, the only danger you face in here is me if you don't shut up." Cassie kept her eyes roaming around her surroundings.

"You know, Weasley, you talk a lot."

Scoffing, the ginger girl rolled her eyes before patting Fang on the head as she passed him by. Opting for silence, she refused to respond to Malfoy as they walked deeper into the Forest, never straying from the past.

"If only your brother had inherited your intelligence, the idiot wouldn't have led me right to your plan. Dumbass."

Twisting around to face the blond bully, she failed to notice the tree branch until her foot caught on it and twisted with a horrible crack. Falling forwards, she was grateful when Malfoy caught her slightly, preventing her from falling face first into the dirt packed ground. Letting out a pained scream, she was grateful when Malfoy began sending red sparks into the air, shouting as he panicked. Apparently, hurt girls was not his strong suit.

"Stop yelling!" Cassie whispered furiously, tears of pain streaming down her face but her hysteria contained. "You'll attract attention to us. Hagrid!"

"What happened to yeh?"

Whilst the question was directed towards her, Hagrid shot Malfoy an accusatory glare, as if he had something to do with it. Protectiveness surged through the giant as he scooped the young girl up into his arms, and over his shoulder, hurrying to get back to the two boys.

"I think I broke my ankle. Tripped over a tree branch."

"Tripped or pushed?" Hagrid asked.

"Tripped." Cassie chuckled at Hagrid's disbelief.

Once they reached Neville and Harry, she was immediately swarmed once Harry saw the pain on his best friend's face. Reassuring everyone that she was fine, she told them they should continue searching for the unicorn. It was probably in more pain than her ankle was. They found the unicorn but it was already dead. Twisting around so that she could see the beautiful creature, Cassie poked Hagrid in the back once she noticed the hooded figure crawling along the Forest floor. And that was when Malfoy bolted. Fang following after.


	10. 1-10

**CHAPTER 1.10 **

Within the space of one night, Cassie had broken her ankle, seen a unicorn, seen a frightened Malfoy, met a centaur, and spent her first night in the hospital wing.

Despite her protests, Cassie managed to get herself discharged from Madam Pomfrey's care with the excuse that she needed a full night's rest before her first exam tomorrow. Hobbling along on her crutch, to 'strengthen the ankle', Cassie eventually made her way up to the Tower. Fred and George has crossed her path halfway and, taking pity on their younger sibling, had taken turns carrying her up all the stairs. Depositing her onto the couch, they hurried off to their dorm room, informing her that they would be telling Molly.

"Cassandra Weasley!" Hermione's shrill voice echoed throughout the common room.

Eyes widening in slight fear, the ginger haired girl tried hobbling away as the brainiac stormed towards her. However, Harry prevented her from getting too far as he wrapped an arm around her waist and directed her towards the nearest sofa. Settling down between the red and gold cushions, Cassie turned to her best friend with a sweet smile, hoping that Hermione would be lenient.

"How could you allow yourself to get hurt around Malfoy? Anything could have happened to you?!"

"He's not going to kill me, Hermione. Malfoy's may be evil but he's not yet a murderer." Cassie chuckled, patting her worried friend on the shoulder. "Besides, he's the one who signalled to Hagrid that we were in trouble."

Burning logs crackled in the background and the hushed whispers to students revising provided a soft atmosphere in the Gryffindor common room, and despite knowing they all had an exam tomorrow, the quartet couldn't bring themselves to get out their books and pour over the pages. Instead, they decided to take their minds off the stressful examinations and passed around Bertie Bott's Beans and laughed until curfew demanded they get some sleep. Ron and Harry couldn't help but laugh as Hermione helped Cassie hobble up the stairs to the girl's dormitory.

* * *

Finally, after a stress filled couple of weeks, First Year exams were over. Whilst the two girls discussed their answers for the paper, the two boys tried blocking them out wanting nothing more than to forget about the torture they had just endured. Sat under the shade of a large tree near the lake, Cassie watched eagerly as her older brothers and their friend began tickling the giant squad, waiting to see who would get attacked first.

"I wish I knew what this means!" Harry exclaimed, rubbing his forehead with anger. "My scar keeps hurting. I mean, it's done it before but never like this."

"I'm sure it doesn't mean anything, Harry. Scars hurt, mine does. It's just a reminder of what you suffered. Something about phantom pain. Scars serve as a reminder of past injuries that never truly heal, traumatic injuries." Cassie recited, remembering the fact that she had come across in a Healer's book. "Yours hurts because of how you got it, mine hurts because it's from the terrible illness I suffered through my first year of life."

Whilst Ronald had been born perfectly healthy, Cassi had been told that she was small and frail due to a rare illness that meant she had to remain in St. Mungo's for the first year of her life.

"Go to Madam Pomfrey if it hurts that much." Hermione suggested.

"I'm not ill."

Raising her eyebrows at him, Cassie was about to make a snide remark about how he was certainly acting like a crazed man but Harry decided to ruin it with his dramatics.

Dragging his friend's towards Hagrid's hut, the dark haired wizard went off on a tangent. Apparently, black market dragon eggs seemed 'suspicious'.

"What did you talk to the stranger about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts?"

Turns out, Hagrid was supplied with alcohol and ended up revealing the secret behind Fluffy. Now, Harry was under the impression that Snape had been informed on how to get past the three headed dog. Rushing around the school in search of Dumbledore's office, they bumped into Professor McGonagall. Shame still filled Cassie as she remembered the anger McGonagall had displayed towards her upon catching her out of bed. Avoiding eye contact, Cassie let Harry do all the talking, which didn't end up being a good idea as McGonagall sent them away with stern words about leaving the Stone alone. Much like Hagrid, she was under the impression that it was well guarded.

"It's tonight." Harry decided, rounding the corner. "Dumbledore's gone and Snape knows all he needs to know. He's gonna steal it tonight."

"Harry, are you sure? I still think Snape would be insane to steal anything from Dumbledore." Cassie said, sharing her disbelief.

She didn't want to sound like she was unsure whether she trusted Harry but she believed his opinion was rather far fetched. Snape was a horrid man but he wasn't stupid enough to steal from the one man who frightened even the Minister of Magic.

"Good afternoon." Snape greeted the four Gryffindors, staring down his nose at them.

They did nothing but gape at him.

Cassie didn't like the weird smile on his face - possibly because Snape never actually smiled. And now he was smiling at four Gryffindors. Even if it did look like an 'I'm going to skin you alive' smile.

"Be warned, Potter. Anymore night time wanderings, and I will make sure you're expelled. Good day to you all."

Turning to face the others, Harry raised an eyebrow at his ginger haired friend.

"Still think he's innocent?"

Cassie flushed.

* * *

"Don't you understand?!" Harry exclaimed once he'd had enough of his friend's disbelief. "If Snape gets the Stone, Voldemort will come back! It won't matter if I get expelled, if there's no Hogwarts to be expelled from! If I get caught trying to save the Stone, I'll go back to the Dursley's and wait for Voldemort to kill me there. It's only dying later. I'm going through the trapdoor tonight and nothing you say will stop me." Harry glared at them.

Remorse and guilt coursed through Cassie when she remembered that Harry didn't have much left to lose. That saving the Stone would give him some sort of justice for his parents. If he could stop Voldemort from getting the Stone, then his parents death wouldn't have been for nothing. He would be using the second chance they gave him to do save the Wizarding World. To shoulder that burden at the age of eleven made Cassie sad enough that she pulled her friend in for a tight hug.

"Will the cloak cover all four of us?" Ron asked.

"P-pardon?"

"You didn't think we'd let you go alone, did you?"

"Of course not. You'd never get to the Stone without us?" Hermione said, matter-of-factly.

"You could get expelled."

"I'm too smart for that." Hermione started.


	11. 1-11

**CHAPTER 1.11 **

Whilst the four of them spent their evening planning how to get past the Stone, the other members of Gryffindor House spent it ignoring the two First Years that had lost them so many points. Thankfully, Harry no longer seemed bothered by it and Cassie had stopped trying to yell at them all.

The Philosopher's Stone had their undivided attention (which was surprising considering Ron still wanted food and Cassie had been recruited to prank Malfoy).

Leaning on the shoulder of her twin brother, the Weasley girl stifled a yawn as Lee Jordan finally went to bed. Exhaustion washed over her due to the many late nights spent studying but sleep would have to wait. Saving Hogwarts from Evil was far more important than an interesting dream about a land made of Butterbeer and Pumpkin Pasties.

Harry snuck back into the Common Room, cloak in hand, and began strategizing the best way to get to the Third Floor.

"What are you doing?" A small voice said, sounding familiar to Neville.

Trevor in hand, Neville stood at the bottom of the staircase I vibrant blue pyjamas with little bunnies on them, staring at his friends in confusion.

"Go back to bed, Neville." Cassie whispered softly, sending the boy a sweet smile.

"You're going out again." He stated.

"I won't let you lose more points." Neville moved quickly, blocking the way out of the common room. "I'll- I'll fight you!"

"When I told you to stand up for yourself, I didn't mean to us?" Ron rolled his eyes, stepping towards Neville.

Unfortunately, the movement made Neville throw his hands up into fists, Trevor making a dart for freedom. Exasperated, Harry knew they didn't have time to convince Neville to get out of the way so he turned to the two geniuses of the group and begged them to do something.

Whilst Cassie refused to use magic against the poor boy, Hermione quickly struck him with a Full Body Bind. Allowing her two seconds to do so, Cassie placed Neville on the couch so he was comfortable before darting under the cloak and out the door. Sighing, she berated herself for going along with Harry Potter's stupidest plan yet.

* * *

Nerves fried, the quartet reached the door that imprisoned Fluffy. The door was already ajar.

"Snape's already gotten past Fluffy." Harry stated, before noticing the harp on the floor.

Pulling out a wooden flute, he started playing an awful, off-key tune that somehow worked as the snores of three heads filled the room. Rushing over to the trapdoor by the paw of Fluffy, Ron heaved it up and peered down into…. nothing. A black pit waited at the bottom. Luckily for the other three, Harry offered to go first. An offer that Ron wasted no time in accepting.

"If anything happens to me, send Hedwig to Dumbledore straight away. See you in a minute."

And then he stepped into the hole.

"There's a soft landing. It's safe to come down." Harry's voice called up, slightly distant.

The moment she landed on the soft plant, Cassie began panicking. Vines began sliding around her legs and arms, restraining her. Breath becoming shallow, she tried to calm herself as the feeling of claustrophobia began settling in. She was trapped, in a dark room, with no clue how big it was. She was going to die in this room. Fear clouded her mind and rational thought, so she began struggling against the plant, not searching her brain for the name of it. As the vines got tighter and tighter, the terrified girl clenched her eyes shut and tried to forget where she was. She could hear Ron's worried voice calling for her but her throat was constricted.

"It's Devil's Snare !" Hermione called out, impressed that she'd remembered the name of it.

On the other hand, Ron was less impressed. The plant had begun wrapping around his neck but he feared for his twin sister, who had been silent throughout the whole ordeal.

"HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THAT YOU'RE A BLOODY WITCH?" He bellowed, before the plant wrapped around his mouth.

As soon as the plant had released its hold on the ginger boy, he rushed over to his sister, pulling her in for a tight hug and reassuring her that she was alright. Still shaken, Cassie gladly took the arm that Ron had offered her for support, taking deep gulps of air.

"_Lumos_." She whispered, lighting her wand so as to see the space around her.

They were walking down a vast corridor, damp walls surrounding them, and a faint fluttering sound echoing quietly around them.

Entering a brightly lit cavern, Cassie gaped in awe at the golden, flying keys above her head. Whilst they paid no attention to the newcomers, Harry sprinted to the wooden door on the other side of the room, hoping he wasn't about to be attacked by keys. The door was locked.

"How are we supposed to know which key fits the door?" Cassie asked, pulling away from her brother.

"Wait, they're keys?" Harry asked, looking at the flying objects more closely than before.

Cassie, still slightly shaken, stayed firmly on the ground whilst the other three took to the air to figure out which key fit the lock. Scanning the sky, she noticed that one key had a slightly bent wing and pointed out to the flying trio. Watching Ron crash into the wall had definitely been a highlight though.

Fearing she had been wrong about the key as Harry took his time to get the door unlocked, Cassie sighed in relief as she heard the click of the door unlocking and the heavy wooden swung open. Knowing they were running out of time to stop Snape, (Cassie now believed he was attempting to steal the Stone due to the proof in front of her), the First Years rushed into the next room before stopping abruptly and gaping at the room before them,

"Well, crap." Cassie stated.

Stood before them was a giant chess set.


	12. 1-12

**CHAPTER 1.12 **

Watching in horror as he fell, Cassie had never been prouder of her brother. He had found his bravery and sacrificed himself to ensure that Harry and Hermione could continue their journey and save the Stone. After Harry had taken the white king, winning the game, Cassie rushed over to her brother and pulled him into her lap. Brushing his hair out of the way, she saw a nasty lump forming from where the queen had hit him with her arm and off the board.

"Is he-?" Hermione stepped forward.

"He'll be fine. You two go on ahead and I'll go get help. You _must_ stop him, Harry. You can do it. Go!"

Watching as her friend's disappeared from view, she begged Merlin for them to be safe before pulling out her wand and trying some healing spells to revive her twin from unconsciousness. Ten minutes had past and Ron was still comatose, just as she was about to give up and start dragging him out of the room, Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall burst into the room. McGonagall rushed over to the twins, pulling Ron into her arms to inspect the damage. Casting a spell on him that had the ginger haired boy hovering in the air behind her, Gryffindor's Head of House. Egan leading Ron to the Hospital Wing.

"Professor?" Cassie called out before Dumbledore could rush after Harry.

"Yes, Miss Weasley."

"Please don't punish, Harry. He was just trying to help you. Just, please don't punish him or expel him. Don't make him go back to those Muggles."

"Mr Potter is not in any trouble. In fact, he's been rewarded with a good friend like you. Madam Pomfrey will have something to calm that heartbeat of yours down. Off you go."

"Yes, Sir."

Hoping that Dumbledore got there in time to save Harry, Cassie stood at McGonagall's side as they marched through the school, promising herself that she would no longer sneak out past curfew.

* * *

"Go away, Malfoy. I'm not going to tell you anything." Cassie groaned, trying to escape the Snake.

News of the quartet's hero moment had quickly spread the school leading to rumours and wide eyed stares. Harry was still in the Hospital Wing and had yet to wake, meaning that Cassie didn't even know the details of what had happened. So, why did people keep asking her?!

Fred and George had been so proud that they had a new troublemaker that they had tried to send Harry a toilet seat, an idea that they proudly chalked up to their mother.

"Come on, Weasley. You owe me."

"I owe you?" Cassie asked incredulously, raising a brow.

"Yeah for saving you in the Forest." Malfoy said.

"Saving me? You didn't save me, Malfoy. You stood there screaming your head off while I sat on the floor in agony and only sent up red sparks when you heard something coming towards us. You didn't save me, you made it worse. So, no, I don't owe you a thing. Now, get out of my way before I kick you again."

Barging past him, the fiery girl headed into the end of year feast with Malfoy on her trails. Plonking down next to Percy, she rested her head against his shoulder, glad for the exhausting year to be over.

"The work will only get harder." Percy reminded his little sister, patting her affectionately on the head.

"Percy?"

"Yes?"

"Please, stop talking."

Silence filled the hall as soon as Cassie had said that and as she turned to the entrance of the Great Hall, she understood why. The infamous Harry Potter was making his way to the Gryffindor table, uncomfortable under all the stares. Everyone burst into chatter once more, except this time they were speculating about what had happened to the Boy Who Lived. Seating himself between Ronald and Hermione, he sent a small wave to Cassie who sent him an encouraging smile.

The mood at the Gryffindor table quickly turned glum once Dumbledore began talking about the House Cup.

"In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twelve points. In third place, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and fifty two. In second place, Ravenclaw, with four hundred and twenty six and Slytherin, four hundred and seventy two."

The table of snakes burst into cheers and hollers at the news and Cassie was in a mood most foul upon seeing Malfoy so happy.

"However, recent events need to be taken into account."

The Slytherins went silent. Smiles sliding slightly. Draco Malfoy no longer looked so joyful.

"I have some last minute points to award." Dumbledore announced, the faintest smile on his lips. "First, to Miss Cassandra Weasley, for remaining level headed even after facing her fears and looking out for those in need, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."

Gryffindors cheered, turning to face the small girl who had shrunk in her seat, trying to hide from the stares of Hogwarts' students.

"To Mr Ronald Weasley, for the best game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points."

The Gryffindors we're slowly increasing with volume, especially with Percy Weasley boasting about how his siblings had just placed Gryffindor above Hufflepuff.

"Thirdly, to Miss Hermione Granger, for the use of logic in a panicked situation, I award Gryffindor House fifty points."

Gryffindors were yelling themselves hoarse when they figured out that they were only ten points away from being tied with Slytherin. Slytherins were no longer looking so smug.

"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies but just as much to stand up to our friends, I therefore award ten points to Mr Neville Longbottom."

Even Cassie stood up and joined in with the cheering Gryffindors, proud of her friend for being recognised as courageous. Proud of the Gryffindors for being tied with the Slytherins, and proud of herself for doing something that even Dumbledore was proud of.

"And, finally, to Mr Harry Potter…" said Dumbledore, the room falling deadly quiet. "...for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points."

Cassie couldn't even see her dark haired friend due to the amount of Gryffindors piling on top of him and cheering. Gryffindors screamed, cheered, and stamped their feet in victory, welcoming the previously shunned First Year's back into the fold. Even the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were cheering in joy.

Clapping his hands, the banners that hung around the room changed from silver and grey to the red and gold of the Lion. McGonagall had a beaming smile on her face and after catching Cassie's eye, gave her a proud nod. Knowing she was back in her favourite Professor's good books made Cassie's evening even better. Nothing could ever beat how happy she felt tonight. Nothing.

* * *

Lugging her trunk off the scarlet train of the Hogwarts Express didn't make Cassandra happy as she knew she'd have to part ways with her two best friends. Families were already parting from the platform and Cassie reluctantly pulled Hermione in for a hug, ignoring the students that were _still_ staring at them.

"There he is, Mum!" Ginny Weasley screeched, jumping up and down, and gaining the attention of her brother and sister.

Turning to face each other, the twins grimaced at the behaviour of their little sister, cheeks turning red.

"Busy year?" Mrs Weasley smiled down at the four children, a twinkle in her eyes.

"Very." Said Harry. "Thank you for the fudge and the jumper, Mrs Weasley."

"It was nothing, dear."

Meeting Harry's family had Cassie clenching her fists and biting her tongue at the manners on his uncle. Pulling Harry in for a tight hug, she bid him a good summer before begrudgingly watching him leave with the muggles.

Once he'd disappeared, Arthur Weasley wandered over to his children, the twins and Percy following behind him.

"Good year at school?" He asked his youngest twins, pressing a kiss to his daughter's hair.

"Dad, you know how you complain about Lucius Malfoy?"

"Yes, dear." Arthur chuckled.

"His son is an absolute nightmare. I know exactly how you feel." Cassie groaned.

Laughing at his eldest daughter, Arthur ruffled her hair affectionately before passing her over to her mother.

"I've missed you, sweetheart."

"Missed you too, Mum."

"You didn't tell me that you broke your ankle." Molly pursed her lips, the fact that told Cassie her mother knew exactly how she had broken her ankle and where she had been at the time.

"Oh, boy." Cassie muttered under her breath.

Summer was going to be fun.


	13. 2-1

**CHAPTER 2.1**

Summer had been dreary for Cassandra Weasley. All her misdemeanours last year (fighting a troll, being caught after hours, transporting an illegal dragon, detention, breaking her ankle, etc.) seemed to outweigh the fact that she had helped save the Philosopher's Stone from the evil grasp of Professor Quirrell – who turned out to be a host for the parasite that was Voldemort – and so she had endured the terrible punishment of being grounded. She had been forbidden from going into the village with her brothers, banned from playing Quidditch or Exploding Snap, and she had been weighed down with more chores than usual. Sat under the shade of the large oak tree, book propped open on her lap, Cassie watched with longing as her brothers floated in the sky above her. In an attempt to coax some annoyance out of their sister, George and Fred Weasley took turns tickling her with a leaf and then flying out of reach before she could hit them.

Due to her position on the ground, she was unable to hear the whispers of conversation between her twin and prankster brothers. However, she could see the scheming face of the elder twins and, whatever they were saying, they had thoroughly convinced Ron.

Closing her book after realising she had read the same sentence five times, Cassie wandered back into the Burrow, smiling at the pictures on the walls as she passed. There were the _'trouble twins'_ on the day of their birth, matching onesies with an embroidered _F_ and _G_. 5 year old Charlie Weasley discovering a book about dragons for the first time, face lit up in awe. Ron and Cassie, on their third birthday, covered head to toe in chocolate cake; Cassie's white dress absolutely ruined. Smiling at the memories of her family, she hummed contentedly once the smell of her mother's cooking reached her freckled nose. This was one of the things she would miss most once she started her Second Year. Whilst she loved that she could eat whatever her stomach desired at Hogwarts, the cooking of the House Elves never quite reached the standard of Molly Weasley's.

"Do you need some help, Mum?" Cassie asked, coming up behind the older witch.

"No, thank you, dear. However, could you help Ginny finish her packing? She's fretting over what to take." Molly chuckled, remembering that Cassie had been the same last year.

"Sure."

Climbing the three flights of stairs until she got to the landing that contained Ginny and Cassie's shared room, the twelve year old panted slightly in an effort to catch her breath before entering the room. It was a flurry of haphazard clothes, books, hair ties, and –

"Ginny, there is no way you're taking three teddy bears to Hogwarts." Cassie emptied her younger sister's trunk (not that it was full) before re-folding the clothes and placing them neatly in one corner.

Sat atop her pink bedding, Ginny flushed a shade of red that clashed horribly with her hair. Their shared bedroom was split into two sides, shown through the difference of colour. Ginny's side was pink and frilly whilst Cassie's was various shades of grey. The wooden floor was marked with paint splatters and glitter from when the girls had been younger and attempted to make art on their floor (without the knowledge of their mother).  
Ginny's side was usually messy whilst Cassie's was 'organised'; all her belongings were in the place they were meant to be, even if her shelves were cluttered with books and memorabilia.

"Honestly, Ginny, pick one teddy to take. That's it." Cassie threw the bear, dog and owl at her younger sister, laughing as they hit her in the face.

Grumbling, the youngest Weasley launched the owl back at her, scowling when Cassie caught it and placed it neatly between a stack of books.

"Have you got all your toiletries?"

"In that wash bag."

"Wand?"

"Nightstand. Ready to go in my pocket, in the morning."

"Enough quills?"

"Yes, but if I run out, I know you have more than enough."

"Smart arse." Cassie chuckled, pulling the trunk closed with a loud _click_.

* * *

Revelling in the warmth and comfort of her bed, Cassie decided she was going to remain there for as long as her mother would allow. Soon, she would have to leave her own bed behind in exchange for her bed at Hogwarts. Unfortunately, her plans of a lie-in were once again ruined when screaming abruptly awoke her. Grabbing her wand, despite not being able to use it, Cassie sprinted down the three flights and to her mother's aid – who was screaming at her idiot twin brother and the elder twins, not in fear.

"Harry!"

Pulling her bespectacled friend in for a tight hug, she dragged him over to the worn dining table and began dishing him up some breakfast whilst Molly continued yelling at her sons.

"What are you doing here?" Cassie asked, once Harry was seated on the large, colourful, wooden table. "We've tried contacting you all summer."

"Jail break with a flying car." Harry smiled slightly.

So that's what her stupid brothers had been plotting. Stealing the Ford Anglia and driving halfway across the country to rescue her poor, imprisoned friend. No wonder they were in so much trouble. Fred, George and Ron followed behind their mother looking ashamed of their actions but Cassie could tell the twins were secretly proud of themselves for pulling it off, and for finally driving the Ford. Smiling gratefully at her daughter for getting breakfast started, Molly began piling more food onto Harry's plate, who looked overwhelmed at the house and by the attention he was receiving.

"I'm so glad you're here, dear. Arthur and I have been so worried about you. Just last night we were saying we'd come and get you if you hadn't responded to these two by Friday. But really, flying an illegal car halfway across the country. Anyone could've seen you."

"But it was cloudy." Fred pointed out.

"You keep your mouth shut whilst you're eating." Molly snapped. Pointing a warning finger at him.

Chuckling into her bacon, Cassie grunted when Fred retaliated by jabbing her in the side with a pointy elbow. Pinching his thigh under the table, she smirked when he exclaimed in pain, which caused Molly to glare at him with even more ferocity.

"They were starving him, Mum." George defended, pointing to Harry's skinny frame.

Thankfully, George was saved a lecture when Ginny thundered down the stairs, caught sight of her idol, squeaked, and ran back up the stairs. Forgetting what she had been about to say to George, Molly turned back to Harry and began giving him more sausages, another egg, and some slices of toast.

"Ginny." Ron informed Harry upon seeing his perplexed look. "She's been talking about you all summer."

"Bit annoying, really. I haven't been able to sleep because she keeps me up with questions about you," giggled Cassie, enjoying the flush on Harry's cheeks.

"She'll be wanting your autograph, Harry." Fred snorted until he caught his mother's evil eye and busied himself with finishing his breakfast.

For the rest of the meal, the only conversation came from Cassie and Harry, the three Weasley boys remaining silent so as to avoid their mother's wrath (who was still muttering darkly under her breath). Once the dishes were cleared away, Fred let out a yawn before announcing that he was going to head to bed and catch up on some sleep. Much to Cassie's joy, she was relieved of her chores for the day as the twins and Ron were given the arduous task of de-gnoming the garden. Apparently they deserved to be punished more than Cassie did. Pleased with her day of freedom, she decided there was no better way than to spend it annoying her brothers whilst they were attacked by the tiny devils plaguing the garden.


	14. 2-2

**CHAPTER 2.2**

Brushing the dust off her grey cloak (that had previously belonged to Percy), Cassie was the second person to go through the Floo, and now she patiently awaited the arrival of her siblings, parents, and Harry. Except Harry never arrived. All the Weasley's appeared but Harry had yet to turn up. Predictably, Molly immediately began panicking, the older twins made inappropriate jokes, and Arthur remained the level-headed one. Splitting the Weasley family into separate groups, they began searching Diagon Alley in the hopes that Harry had only strayed one grate too far. Eventually he was found by Hagrid and safely returned. Racing ahead of her panting mother, Cassie rushed over to her friend to ensure he was alright but then saw Hermione, and completely forgot about her concern for the dishevelled boy.

"I have missed you so much!" She exclaimed, pulling Hermione in for a squishy hug. "Summer has been absolute hell without you. Luckily, being grounded gave me time to read all those muggle books you sent me, and I have so many questions!"

Immediately, the two girls dived into a rapid conversation about books and the characters contained within them.

"Great. There's two of them." Ron muttered, earning himself a sharp glare from his twin.

As the now larger group climbed the stairs to Gringotts, Harry informed the trio of who he had spotted in Borgin and Burkes – Malfoy and his evil father.

"I'd love to get Lucius Malfoy for something." Arthur said with a wicked smile adorning his face.

"You be careful, Arthur. That family is trouble. Don't go biting off more than you can chew."

Molly had given Cassie the exact same speech at the beginning of the summer after learning that Cassie had served detention in the Forbidden Forest with the Malfoy heir. And that they had exchanged harsh words. She had warned her eldest daughter to stay away from him and not provoke him. In other words, don't mess with wizards who had far more power and authority over you.

"So, you don't think I'm a match for Lucius Malfoy?" Arthur asked indignantly.

"If you ever need any help. Daddy, I happen to be an expert in annoying Malfoy's." Cassie said cheekily, earning herself a slight clip around the ear from her mother.

"Don't encourage him."

* * *

Once money had been carefully handed out, the Weasley/Potter/Granger group dispersed into smaller groups going about their business. Fred and George hurried off to find Lee Jordan, their best friend and partner in crime. Molly and Arthur hurried off to get Ginny any first year supplies they had forgotten. Percy disappeared without a trace. The Golden Quartet treated themselves to some ice cream as they wandered down the alleys, popping into shops here and there so as to collect some last minute bits and pieces for the fast approaching start of school. Second Year was no different to First Year aside from the fact that Second Years could play Quidditch, and they weren't filled with Sorting Ceremony anxiety.

Entering the joke shop, Fred, George and Lee Jordan stole Cassie from her friends so as to ask her for her opinion on some pranks they had begun planning. After all, she was the mastermind behind most of their escape plans (the successful ones).

As she entered Flourish and Blotts, the eldest Weasley girl couldn't help the small smile that graced hr light pink lips. Inhaling the smell of new books greedily, she drank in the aroma with thinly veiled glee. It was her favourite smell. For her twelfth birthday, she had been gifted with a candle that filled her room with the smell of books when lit. It had soon become her most treasured possession. However, her joy at being surrounded by so much literature was quickly shattered when a familiar, slimy voice reached her ears.

"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" Draco Malfoy sneered. "Famous Harry Potter. Can't even go into a bookstore without making the front page."

"Jealous, much?" Cassie taunted, coming to stand by Harry's side despite not having a clue as to why Malfoy was agitated.

Having walked into the bookstore later than the rest of the group, she had missed the fiasco with Harry and Gilderoy Lockhart. Something she would later be relieved about as she failed to understand the world's obsession with the self-obsessed wizard.  
Unfortunately, Ginny decided to defend Harry, which only resulted in more cruel words for the young girl and Harry. Noticing the small group gathering around his friend, Ron shoved his way through the crowd and over to Harry before looking disgusted upon seeing the pale blond hair that belonged to Malfoy Junior.

"I'm surprised to see you in a shop, Weasley. I bet your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for all this."

"And you won't be able to eat for a month when I'm through with you." Cassie threatened, pulling Ron back before her made a scene in the middle of her most beloved shop.

As if the fates were against her, both her father and Lucius Malfoy chose that moment to seek their children out. The two men exchanged looks of slight repulsion upon seeing the other. After making one comment too many about the Weasley Family and its company, Arthur launched himself at the wealthier wizard, knocking him to the floor. Cheering on her father, the green-eyed girl was rather disappointed when Hagrid pulled them apart.; Malfoy and his father deserved to be knocked down a peg or two. Attempting to scrape his dignity back together, Lucien straightened out his robes before flouncing out of the store, beckoning Draco.

"You really should ditch the Mudblood." Draco whispered in Cassie's ear as he passed the redhead.

"Go to hell, Malfoy," she spat back, turning on her heel to storm away.

Sticking his foot out slightly, he snickered when she stumbled over it, falling to the side. He stopped smirking when she staggered into Harry's side and the dark haired boy wrapped an arm around her to keep her upright. Glaring at the retreating boy's back, Cassie vowed the she would ignore her mother's 'words of wisdom'. Cassie didn't care how much power or money Draco Malfoy had, she would make his life a living nightmare.

* * *

Snuggling under her covers, she tried her hardest to ignore the rays of sun filtering through the poorly closed curtains, she tried to ignore the excited voice of her annoying little sister, and she tried to pretend she couldn't hear her mother demanding she get out of bed.

"Cassandra Lillian Weasley, get up right now, young lady!" Molly screeched, yanking the duvet off of her eldest girl.

Ignoring the groaning and protesting, she hauled Cassie out of bed and forced her into the shower and turned it on, Cassie's pyjamas still on. The poor girl's yells as the cold water washed over could be heard throughout the whole house.


	15. 2-3

**CHAPTER 2.3**

Rushing onto Platform 9 and ¾, Cassie hurriedly bid her parents a goodbye before rushing over to Hermione and Neville. Ignoring her mother's demands that she write more this year, Cassie grabbed Ginny's trunk and led her to the compartment that Hermione had already reserved for them. Not even caring if Harry and Ron were following behind her, she let Neville help her lift the trunk up.

"Good summer, Neville?" Cassie smiled at the boy as she threw herself down onto the seat opposite him.

Whilst she had sent him a birthday card, they hadn't corresponded much due to Cassie's sickly owl and the fact that she shared it with the rest of her family. The tips of Neville's ears turned pink at the attention from the pretty girl as he stammered to form a reply.

"Are you looking forward to your first year?" Hermione asked, turning the attention towards Ginny.

"She's a bit nervous. Aren't you, Gin?" Cassie chuckled, bumping her sister's shoulder.

Ginny nodded, knees jiggling up and down.

"After all, she's the last Weasley. If she doesn't get Gryffindor, that's the chain broken." Cassie recited the words the twins had said only hours before.

Ginny turned a slight shade of green before excusing herself to the bathroom. Laughing to herself, Cassie ran after her sister to ensure she didn't attempt to drown herself in the toilet before the train arrived at Hogwarts.  
On her way back to the compartment, Cassie was alone and too invested in trying to fix her tie that she failed to notice the person coming towards her until she collided with them. Muttering under her breath, she offered the other person her hand so as to pull them up but retracted it when she spotted the pale blond, slicked back hair. Only she could be so unlucky.

"You," she hissed, glaring down at the boy who had yet to pull himself up off the floor.

"I knew you were poor Weasley, I just never knew you were blind." Malfoy taunted, brushing imaginary dust off his Slytherin robes.

His green and silver tie was impeccably made and pulled tightly up to his collar whereas Cassie's gold and red one was haphazardly made and her collar was loose due to the top button being undone. Another indication to how they were polar opposites.

"Maybe I just take pleasure in you grovelling at my feet."

Malfoy snarled and took a predatory step towards her. Thankfully, a Prefect came bustling down the hallway and noticed the tense pair, the air around them crackling dangerously. Sighing at his hothead of a sister, Percy threatened to deduct points from both houses if they didn't return to their compartments. Not wishing to be the reason their Houses started the year with minus points, they hurried down opposite ends of the train, eager to get away from each other.

"Where is Ronald and Harry?" Cassie asked when she returned to her friends, the two boys noticeably absent.

"Perhaps they found a compartment and are too busy stuffing their faces to come find us?" Hermione suggested logically, not even glancing up from the book her nose was buried in.

Cassie let out a noise of agreement but couldn't help the worry bubbling up inside her. Thinking about it, she didn't remember seeing them on the platform before she ran off. But they were right behind her before she went through the barrier. However, her worry turned to excitement when the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station and Cassie got her first real look at Hogwarts. She was back.

* * *

"Hermione, I still can't see them. Can you?" Cassie leaned up, craning her neck to see if she could catch a glimpse of her missing friend and twin seated somewhere down the long Gryffindor table.

"Cassie, calm down. It's a big table, they're probably at the end. Now, shush, the Sorting is starting."

Suffering through the long Sorting Ceremony, Cassie politely cheered when the Houses gained new members and silently booed when a small child was sent to the House of Snakes. After what felt like hours, Ginny Weasley was finally called to the front. Whilst she had joked about Ginny breaking tradition, Cassie hoped that Ginny did get into Gryffindor, purely so that she could keep an eye on her younger sister; to ensure that she was making friends, doing well in school, and just generally being happy at Hogwarts. Not long after the Hat had been placed upon her head, it announced that the last Weasley did, in fact, belong in Gryffindor. Cheering loudly, she clapped her sister on the back when Ginny took the seat next to her, face as red as her hair. Clearly, the Weasley's were a brave bunch.

Abandoning her previous search for the male half of the Golden Quartet, Cassie wasted no time in shovelling chicken pie and mashed potatoes into her mouth the moment they appeared before her. Everyone was catching up after a summer apart. Couples were reuniting with sneaky touches under the table and chaste kisses to the cheek. Friends were teasing each other and rivals were already planning ways of revenge. The prankster trio were already concocting one of their most brilliant pranks yet. Hermione and Cassie were chattering on and on about the books they had read over the summer, their conversation seemingly endless. Draco was holding court over his band of goons as he chomped down on chicken wings. And, Severus Snape, for their reckless behaviour, was berating Ron and Harry in the dungeons below.

On their way back to the common room, the girls still hadn't managed to locate Harry and Ron, and even Hermione was beginning to worry. Until they spotted them hanging around outside the Fat Lady, still in their clothes from the morning and figuring out how to get in.

"There you are! Where have you been?" Hermione demanded, babbling on about the rumours of a flying car.

Storming over to her brother, Cassie slapped Ron upside the head for the trouble he had caused before pulling Harry in for a tight hug, relieved that he was okay and still at Hogwarts.

"Typical." Ron muttered, rubbing his head in pain. "Bloody typical."


	16. 2-4

**CHAPTER 2.4**

Breakfast had been a rather quiet affair, at the beginning.  
Once the mail had arrived, Cassie quickly closed her Potions book (her favourite subject despite the teacher) and looked between Ron and the letter eagerly.

"Oh no." Ron choked, staring at the crimson envelope with a frightened expression.

Sitting there, neatly wrapped with a black ribbon, the red letter gleamed up innocently at the people sat around it, waiting to be opened.

"Oh, yes." Cassie sighed happily, sliding it towards her twin brother.

It was times like these that made Ron wonder why his sister wasn't in Slytherin – she took far too much pleasure from his misery. The envelope sat in front of Ron, waiting to be opened by his hand only. If ignored, it would become far more explosive. Neville sounded scarred as he warned Ron about the consequences of ignoring the delightful little envelope. Five minutes had already passed since it'd been delivered and the corners were beginning to emit a light grey smoke. Gulping loudly, Ron slit open the letter and prepared himself for the pain. As soon as the loud shrieking noise of Molly Weasley's livid voice boomed around the stone walls of the Great Hall, every single student turned to face the youngest Weasley son. Over at the Slytherin table, Malfoy looked as gleeful at Cassie. Both of them were enjoying the horror on Ron's face.

**_"YOU WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU! YOU ARE IN BIG TROUBLE! I BET YOU DIDN'T STOP TO THINK WHAT YOUR FATHER AND I WENT THROUGH WHEN WE SAW IT WAS GONE-"_**

Whilst Ron sank lower in his seat, Cassie started prodding the floating Howler, hoping to increase the volume of her mother's voice. Ron getting into trouble was enough to bring a smile to Cassie's face but receiving a Howler? Now, that was priceless. Not even Fred and George had managed to achieve that level of rule breaking, although it was not for lack of trying.

**_"I THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME. WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO BEHAVE LIKE THIS! YOU AND HARRY COULD HAVE DIED-"_**

Harry tried to pretend as if he hadn't heard his name coming from the shrill letter, especially when the students began to look at him as well. However, he couldn't ignore the cheerful nudge Cassie gave him. Especially when she began pointing between the Howler and then back at him, reminding him that the Harry mentioned was indeed he.

**_"YOUR FATHER'S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK AND IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT! IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE, WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT BACK HOME!"_**

On that note, the envelope hissed at Ron before exploding into flames, leaving behind nothing but a smoking pile of ash. Cassie was the first person to laugh. Draco was the second.

* * *

Classes that week had been fairly average. Neville had fainted during Herbology due to the sight of the ugly, baby Mandrakes. Draco had glared at Cassie because she had laughed when his baby Mandrake had bitten him. Ron failed to turn Scabbers into a goblet, in front of the entire class, due to his broken wand. Neville had been hung onto a chandelier by some pesky pixies during their first epic fail of a Defence Against The Dark Arts class. Also, Cassie had managed to convince her brothers to pick Malfoy as their first victim. All in all, it had been a good week for the Weasley girl, if not slightly menial. Ron, however, was still haunted by the Howler; if Cassie raised her voice slightly, he flinched. So, naturally, she spoke in louder tones for the majority of the time.

Saturday morning brought an early Quidditch practice for Harry, and in turn, the other three. They had originally planned to visit Hagrid but that would have to wait until training had finished. Oliver Wood could be pretty scary when something Quidditch related didn't go his way. As the rest of the Golden Quartet made their way onto the pitch, they let out a groan upon seeing the Slytherin team was also there. And that wasn't even the worst part.

"Is that Malfoy?" Ron asked, squinting at the team of silver and green.

Hurrying over to the two teams, Cassie glared at as many Slytherin's as she could manage. Only they could be slimy enough to sabotage the Gryffindor Quidditch Team; every other house had honour and a sense of fair play.

"What's he doing here?" Ron asked Harry.

"I'm the new Slytherin seeker." Malfoy began boasting about his new broom and just how wonderful and rich he was compared to the members of the Gryffindor team.

"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in," said Hermione through gritted teeth. "They got in on pure talent."

"No one asked for your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood."

The response was instantaneous. Alicia Spinnet let out a horrified shriek. Hermione recoiled into Harry, and Flint dove in front of Malfoy when a small blur of ginger darted towards him. Dashing after their sister, Fred and George tried hauling her back but she was determined to wrap her small hands around Malfoy's pale throat. It took the two Beaters, and Oliver Wood wrapping his arms around her waist, to haul her back from the new Seeker.

By the time they had achieved that, Ron had already tried to curse Malfoy with his snapped wand. It was safe to say that had backfired when Ron was the one to start hurling up slugs. The Slytherin team were in hysterics, which only caused Cassie to lunge towards Malfoy whilst he was laughing on the floor. Thankfully, Wood caught her before she was able to do any damage. Chucking the small girl over his shoulder, Oliver carried her away from the pitch, fully aware of the death threats she was giving the Slytherin heir.

* * *

A couple of days later, the Quartet were on their way back to the Common Room when Harry exclaimed he could hear voices in the walls. His friends, however, could not and were casting him strange glances as he led them down a passage. Even in the Wizarding World, hearing voices was a sign of psychosis.

A large puddle of water covered the floor and Cassie had to grip the back of Harry's robes to prevent her from slipping in it. Mrs Norris was hanging upside down from a torch bracket, her red eyes open but unseeing. A red substance was written on the wall behind her, warning everyone that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened once more.

As the four Gryffindor students followed Dumbledore into Lockhart's office, Cassie couldn't help but think that this would not be a trouble free year, like she had hoped it'd be. In fact, she was starting to believe that being friends with Harry Potter would be nothing but a beacon for trouble.

Inspecting Mrs Norris, Dumbledore remained silent and did not address the anxious Second Years stood before him. Filch was sobbing in a corner and whilst she had no love for him or that damned cat, Cassie couldn't help but wish there was something she could say that would comfort him. When Dumbledore announced that Mrs Norris had been Petrified, not murdered, Filch immediately began accusing Harry for the heinous act.

His reasoning? Harry knew that Filch was a Squib, and now, so did the other three. Dismissing the four students as he knew they were innocent, Dumbledore asked that they return straight to their common room as it was nearing midnight, Watching the looks on her professor's faces, Cassie's couldn't help but notice that they looked uneasy. Whatever evil had done this, it had spooked even Professor Dumbledore.


	17. 2-5

**CHAPTER 2.5**

For the few days that followed, the halls of Hogwarts were filled with non-stop gossip about Mrs Norris and the horrible fate that had befallen her. By the end of the school week, Cassie felt ready to pull her eyeballs out just for a change in the routine. As all pieces of information, tales of the evening had been exaggerated, the story becoming more and more eccentric with each person that retold it. To make matters worse, Cassie's last lesson on that Friday afternoon was History of Magic. Listening to Professor Binns droning on for hours was quite possibly the worst end to the week.

Head resting on her hand and red hair spilling onto the wooden desk she shared with Seamus Finnigan, she tried her hardest to ignore the continuous tapping of his fingers. However, it was becoming tedious and Cassie could feel her irritation growing. Glancing sideways at him, she willed for his hand to stop its motions but unsurprisingly, that didn't work. As a last peaceful resort (instead of hitting him), she opted for outright glaring and thankfully, he got the message and his fingers stilled.

As Cassie begged time to pass faster, she could've cheered when Hermione piped up and questioned Binns about the Chamber of Secrets. Due to her persistent nature, he reluctantly agreed to tell his Second Year class about the legend of Slytherin's Chamber. Instantly, the whole class was alert. Even Malfoy learned forward eagerly, anxious to hear the story.

"For the first few years, the Founders of Hogwarts worked together in peace. But, disagreements sprang up between them. A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the other three: Slytherin wished be more_ selective_ when picking the students to attend Hogwarts. He believed magical learning should remain within all-magical families. He believed students of Muggle parentage were untrustworthy. Slytherin and Gryffindor had a serious argument about the subject, and so Slytherin left Hogwarts. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber beneath the school and hadn't told the other Founders. He sealed it so that none, but his heir, would be able to open it and unleash the horror within. The heir would then use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic."

Muttering behind her had Cassie glaring as Malfoy muttered the unspeakable, prejudice word used for children born into non-magical families. Glancing down, she noticed that Seamus' own hands were clenched in anger upon hearing the slur. At that moment, Cassie decided she had gained a little more respect for her fellow Gryffindor and even more hatred for the Slytherin ass.

Unfortunately, Binns soon become irritated with the pestering questions of his Second Year students as they became more interested in the Chamber after hearing the story, not less. After hearing one question too many, Binns snapped at the class before returning to his monotone lecture. All the students slumped back down in their seats.

Tuning out the mind-numbing History lesson, Cassie and Seamus began entertaining themselves with a game of Hangman on the piece of parchment Seamus was supposed to be writing notes on. Attempting to muffle their laughter become progressively harder as the words took a less appropriate turn.

* * *

Despite the other three members of the Golden Quartet wandering off on their own, Cassie had separated from them and opted to walk back to the Common Room with Seamus and Dean as she was enjoying the conversation they were having. Dropping their bags off, the trio scurried down to the Great Hall for dinner, Seamus and Cassie bickering over who had won their earlier games (he had the most points but she had the most creative words) and Dean judging who he thought deserved to win (Cassie, for the words).

Laughing with the two boys she had befriended, she gave Seamus a friendly punch on the arm and failed to register the polished shoe that deliberately placed itself in her path until her foot caught on it and she tumbled forwards. Thankfully, the two Gryffindors had quick reflexes and caught the back of her robes before she came too close to the floor.

"Watch where you're going, Weasley. There's all sorts of horrible accidents happening around here."

Whilst Dean ensured she was free from injuries and that she was once again on steady feet, Seamus whipped out his wand charged for the Prince of Slytherin was a venomous look adorning his face. Any chance to attack a Slytherin was an opportunity that a Gryffindor was physically incapable of letting pass. Especially if that Slytherin had done something cruel to a friend. Seamus, who cared deeply for his friends, wasn't about to let Malfoy get away with almost breaking Cassie's nose (which would've happened if they hadn't caught her and she smashed into the floor). Darting after her hot-headed friend, Cassie gripped his arm just before it placed his wand at Draco's neck.

"He's not worth the House points you'd lose," she muttered, pulling him in the direction of the Hall.

"Watch your step, Blood Traitor."

A sharp intake of breath echoed around the stone corridor as Cassie's cheeks flamed, clashing violently with her hair.

_How dare he_.

Fortunately, she was prevented from retaliating because she and Dean had to grip the back of Seamus' jumper to prohibit him from jumping the arrogant prick, using his fists this time. The harsh sound of snake laughter followed the trio down the hall, adding fuel to the already blazing lion fire. Cassie felt her wand slide down into her hand and smiled at the comfort of the wood, muttering a few words under her breath.

Sitting down to dinner, she piled chicken and potato onto her plate, added some peas and then covered it in gravy before turning to look at Seamus who was glaring darkly at her from across the table.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Cassie asked, arching a red brow.

"You should've let me hit him," argued Seamus. "He can't get away with treating you like that!"

Rolling her eyes at the typical Gryffindor male behaviour, Cassie was touched that he cared for her enough to be annoyed with her. Taking a sip of her pumpkin juice to wash down the mashed potato, she smiled slightly as she responded.

"If living with six boys has taught me anything, it's that hitting someone with witnesses just gets you into trouble. You have to choose more subtle forms of revenge. Ones that whilst everyone knows who did it, there's no way it can be traced back to you."

Gulping, Seamus reminded himself to never infuriate the fiery redhead he had befriended. Admiring her methods didn't stop the fear coursing through him and so he kept silent, choosing not to ask for examples of her revenge. However, he got his answer a few moments later.

Seated with her back to the Slytherin table, Cassie was conversing with her younger sister when a pupil walked through the open doors of the Great Hall. Ensuring that her sister was settling into the routine of classes, she was pleased to her that Ginny had become friends with the Ravenclaw girl she had been partnered with in Potions. Reassuring her younger sister than not being friends with your dorm mates was perfectly acceptable, she pointed out that the only female friend Cassie had was Hermione. And that had been purely accidental.

"And Seamus, of course. He's my best girl friend." Cassie sniggered, dodging the baby carrot that was catapulted in her direction. "You screamed like a little girl in Herbology the other day when that bug crawled up your arm."

"It came out of nowhere!" Seamus protested, aiming to throw another carrot when his mouth dropped open and something that caught his attention.

Gawking at the white haired boy as he hurried towards his table, Seamus was unable to draw his eyes away from his forehead. Whispers broke out as everyone caught sight of the branding he was poorly hiding. Chuckles soon followed after rumours began speculating on what the Second Year had done to aggravate the Weasley twins. However, the twins soon squashed that rumour and gave credit where credit was due. In fact, another Weasley was the mastermind behind the trick. Although, they took full responsibility for training her well.

Stamped on Malfoy's forehead for the entirety of Hogwarts to see was a large _W_ in the exact same shade of red as Cassie's hair. Flushing under all the stares, Malfoy glared down at his dinner plate and ignored the questions of his House members. Dropping five Sickles into his sister's hand, Fred patted her on the back and congratulated her on her first prank of the year.

"Why are you paying me?"

"For playing your part in a bet I just won." Fred answered simply, winking at his sister.

"More of an explanation would be useful, Freddie."

"George bet me that your first prank of the year would be on Ronniekins. I argued it would be Malfoy. I won."

"Congratulations on knowing me better than George does. You should know I don't waste supplies on Ron, I just hit him. Malfoy, however, deserves more pain than that." Cassie laughed when her brother imitated their mother whenever she was proud of her children.

Ruffling Cassie's hair, Fred returned to his twin and his pudding, boasting about his twin.

"You terrify me." Seamus gulped, glad that he hadn't made an enemy of the girl instead.

Smiling angelically at her friend, the oldest Weasley girl turned to face the table of green. Locking eyes with the Slytherin Prince, Cassie raised her hand and wiggled her fingers in a cheerful wave. Pink lips twisted into a smirk as she admired the W she had written with her wand as she retreated earlier. Malfoy sneered but flinched when she pulled her wand from her sleeve.

_ Good_, Cassie thought, _he should be scared of what I'm capable of._


End file.
